Howard Barrell Presidential spokesman Parks Mankahlana died on Thursday morning, as persistent suggestions in political circles that he had been suffering from Aids remained officially unconfirmed. The presidency skirted the nature of Mankahlana’s illness in its announcement of his death at midday on Thursday. Later, the communications department in the presidency, which Mankahlana had headed, said in response to a question from the Mail & Guardian: “The question of his illness is something that the family should deal with, and we respect that.” However, a senior African National Congress source confirmed to the M&G on Thursday afternoon that Mankahlana had indeed died of an illness induced by HIV/Aids.
The involvement of both Man-kahlana and President Thabo Mbeki in polemics over HIV/Aids has made the cause of Mankahlana’s death a public domain issue.
Mankahlana once said in an interview with the United States-based magazine Science that providing anti-retroviral drugs to pregnant HIV-positive women to curb mother-to-child transmission worried the South African government because of the number of surviving orphans such a policy would create and the burden this would impose on state finances. Mbeki has repeatedly questioned the causal link between the HI virus and Aids.
Tributes to Mankahlana, who also served as spokesman for former president Nelson Mandela, poured in yesterday. The presidency expressed its “deep sadness” at Mankahlana’s death. He had borne his illness “bravely to the end”. It quoted Mbeki as saying Mankahlana had served both Mandela and him “with distinction”. Referring to Mankahlana’s years as an anti-apartheid activist, Mbeki said he had made an “immense contribution to the struggle for freedom and the realisation of democracy in our country”. The Democratic Alliance, the official opposition, called Mankahlana’s death “a great loss of South Africa, regardless of the fact that we may not always have agreed on matters”. The parliamentary Press Gallery Association (PGA), whose members dealt with him on a daily basis, said: “He was always ready to assist the media, and was open to friendly interaction with the press after working hours. His infectious laughter was often heard resonating through the offices of the press gallery.” Barry Streek, the M&G’s parliamentary correspondent and a former PGA chair, said on Thursday that, although there had been a number of public rows between the M&G and Mankahlana, M&G political staff were always able to maintain warm personal and professional relations with him. “In fact,” added Streek, “four months ago, shortly after a fierce public row with him over M&G criticisms of the president and just after he had gone on leave, Parks contacted the M&G’s parliamentary staff to help him organise accommodation in Hermanus for a whale-watching break – which we happily did. A warm and likeable man has, sadly, gone.” A member of the public, who wished to remain anonymous, remarked that Mankahlana’s death was “so sad, because he was made to play the clown for the king”. Mandela, who was travelling on Thursday, was expected to release a tribute to Mankahlana late on Thursday night. Mankahlana, aged 36, played an important role in student and youth politics first at the University of Fort Hare, where he studied law between 1984 and 1986, then in the United Democratic Front (UDF) and later in the African National Congress underground in the 1980s. Mankahlana was secretary of the Lowveld subregion of the UDF in the early 1980s; he joined the ANC underground in 1987; he was serving as national publicity secretary of the South African Youth Congress at the time of its dissolution in 1990 after the unbanning of the ANC; and he then became secretary for information of the ANC Youth League in 1991. In 1994, then president Mandela appointed him presidential spokesman, a post in which he excelled. His relations with political journalists soured somewhat, however, at the time of Mandela’s marriage to Graca Machel. Mankahlana had repeatedly denied rumours of the marriage and, when it occurred, a number of journalists felt he had let them down. Under Mbeki’s presidency, Mankahlana became less accessible. And, as his illness took hold, he was prone to bouts of irritation. Privately and professionally, however, M&G political journalists always found him helpful, intellectually stimulating and friendly. Additional reporting by Charlene Smith
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